HL Deb 01 August 1951 vol 173 cc244-6WA
LORD BRAND

asked His Majesty's Government, whether they will provide figures showing for each of the last five calendar years:—

  1. (a) the total national personal income;
  2. (b) the amount of such income accruing in each year to (1) wage earners, (2) salary earners, (3) receivers of dividends from companies on ordinary shares only; and
  3. (c) the increase in 1951 up to 30th June of such dividends as compared with the dividends paid during the corresponding period of 1947 and 1950.

LORD PAKENHAM

The answers to parts (a) and (b) of the noble Lord's question are given in the following table:

whose accounts are published in the Press. On the basis of these figures it is estimated that gross ordinary dividends paid by such companies during the first six months of 1951 were about 20 per cent. above those for the corresponding period of 1950, and about 26 per cent. above those for the corresponding period of 1947.

The figures for increases in dividends given above cover companies controlled in the United Kingdom in all types of industry and trade and are thus comparable in scope with the estimates in the National income White Paper. The lower figures quoted by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in recent debates were based on the figures published in the Press for home industries only and excluded companies in the oil, rubber and mining industries abroad which have, in general, shown greater increases in dividends.

House adjourned at twenty-eight minutes before eight o'clock.